Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1887-10-29
CENTRAL PARKS GUESTS.
Surprising Variety of Wild Birds which
dwell among its Dells and Dingles.

u"Fh dbArh -
ANYBODY who has some knowledge
Of birds. or i fond Of watching their
WAYS. can find much amusement this
winter in wandering through the by
waya OF Central park. reporter walk
Ing in the ps~k the other day was sur
pri,ed atthe number Of wild birds he
saw spending the winter IN the very
heart Of New York, some Of which
ought 10 be with swallows. while
Others. one would think. might find a
freer existence in the vast northern
forests, Hopping about among the
dead leaves under the miniature pines
was a large flock Of w~hite-crowned
sparrows. which can not be regarded
a winter residents IN the north. They
appear TO live on seeds and substance
which they pick from pine cones.
They are beautiful birds, somewhat
larger than English sparrows. which
they resemble in %colors. and about
each eve have a broad band of white.
They utter a dreamy. far-away note
very charming to the ear. The park is
peculiarly arranged, and offers an I'M
ending charm to these birds. The
miniature creeks in the deep r~avines
have swift running waters which have
not been frozen this winter. On the
edges of these is q continuous layer of
soft mud. in which the birds delight to
wade. When not searching among the
dry leaves. one is sure to find them
picking in the mud for worms or bath
ing in some small pool warmed by the
rays of the sun.
There is another rare bird found in
the park this winter. This is the gold
en-crowned kinglet. always seen cling
inc upside down to the pine spines.
These tiny creatures are but little larg-
er than humming birds, and are very
plentiful in the park. Their color is a
beautiful olive, streaked with yellow.
In the center of the crown is a broad
stripe of crimson, bounded with yellow
on each side. The birds 90 about in
pairs, swinging among the punches of
spines, seldom or never uttering a
sound, save an occasional chirp from
mate to mate.
Next larger in size than these and
very numerous are the noisy chikadees,
with black heads, bright, swapping
eyes. white breasts, and ta~wny-colored
Od1hS. 4hC may bC-otI VI odf anu
anywhere in the park, singing, "Chick-
a-dee, chick-a-dee-dee.' Once stop to
observe them, and they alight near
you, looking in your face, chirping,
and apparently wishing you good
morning. Almost always in their
company will be found several pair of
nuthatches and one or more downy
woodpeckers. The nuthatches and
w~oodpeckers fit from tree to tree,
climbing up the trunks, and pecking
in the bark for insects. The nuthatch is
a pretty fellow, with white throat and
breast, a black cap, and a lavender
back. He looks somewhat like a king
fisher, except that he is much smaller.
The downy Woodpecker is the smallest
of his kind in America. His celors are
entirely of black and white, arranged
in stripes and blotches. Whenever the
chickadees sound their notes the nut
hatch cries ''Rak-rak-rak." and the
woodpecker echoes with a shrill high
sound like that Of a rod of iron falling
on end on an anvil.
Among the other curiosities which
roam in the park uncontined and unin-
vited is a tiny owl, called the Acadian
or saw-whet owl, and the smallest owl
this side of the Pacific slope in Ameri-
ca. His color is a dark reddish brown,
with light streaks on his breast, and
his head is as large as his body. He is
found sitting silently among the dark
est branches of some evergreen, with
his eyes wide open, waiting for the
approach of night, when he can hunt
for mice and small birds.
The commonest of the wild species,
and which may be found in any part OF
the city, are the so-called black snow
birds. They are little mouse-colored
birds, with light breasts and sparkling
black eyes, and they often tight success.
fully with the sparrows FOX crumbs.
Whenever q furry of snow passes
over the city The stroller In the park is
surprised to see a flash of wings, as 8
flock Of now buntings and lap-wlngs
flies aimlessly about, either alighting
III a bunch on a tree, or sweeping down
on the low land teside the artiticia.
streams. At this time of the year they
are ~yelloWish and white, in color, but il
the spring the yellow disappears anc
they become pure white with BLACK
blotches. One may see them any day
on the ocean beach, particularly by the
mouth Of some little stream or arm o.
the Sea.-N y sam